A train and a tranny

Holy. Wow. Where does time go? I have already been on vacation for 2 weeks, but it feels like I haven't stopped running around. Perhaps, that has something to do with my mom handing me a laundry list of things to do when I got home?

Well, I'm finally getting around to all those updates I am behind on. So funny story. Jake had to work today, as do all of our friends. We only live 20-30 minutes from the airport, but that equates to a $45+ cab ride. I was not keen on having to shell out monies, so I decided to go the cheap (but long ~1 hour) route and take public transportation. We live smack dab in the middle of two commuter rail stops. But wouldn't you know it, the commuter rail only stops at 2pm or and 4pm on the weekdays to pick up passengers headed into the city. Since my flight leaves at 6:30pm, I didn't want to risk it and was going to take the 2pm train. 

I missed it by 2 minutes. I had ran out of my apartment, dragging my bags the 1.1 miles to the train station, not stopping to take in the crisp and colorful leaves that had fallen, not stopping to take a photo of beautiful New England Fall. (Ugh, so mad that I didn't, so many gorgeous scenes.) On the way there, I heard the train go by and started to whimper. But I tried to think positively and tell myself that perhaps, that was the outbound train. No such luck. So I sat there, hot, sweaty, sticky, and stinky. I sulked. And then I sulked some more while eating my cold McChicken sandwhich (don't judge, it's what happens when you are only home for 48 hours and barely had time to unpack and repack).

I didn't want to risk being late for my flight (I'm sure the 4pm train would have been fine since I only have carry-ons), so plan B was to cab it to the airport. Miraculously, a tranny (at least I think she was) appeared looking all confused. We struck up conversation and as it turns out, she was also headed to the airport. Maybe the 2 large suitcases gave it away. Anyways, I asked if she was willing to split a cab to the airport. She agreed and off we went. Unfortunately, she picked a bad cabby that charged us a ton of extras (who still charges a fee for credit cards, isn't that all built in? and who still uses carbon paper to imprint images of credit card numbers? Lord, I hope my card number doesn't get stolen while I'm out of the country).

So here in the International terminal of Logan, I sit, waiting for my flight. I'm thankful that I'm here with plenty of time to spare and sweating balls somewhere else. I'll just have to shower as soon as we check into our flat. 

Oh, wish me luck. I have tried to pack light - 2 weeks living out of a carry-on AND without my hair straightener. See that bag on top? It's all of my electronics! Damn me and my photography hobby. That's not even all of it! I left my external flash behind. Let's hope that I don't need it during my trip.

Traveling light. Instagram @hungc

Cheerio Boston, I'll see you in two weeks. 

Boston skyline from the skybridge between terminals A and E at Logan International.
Instagram @hungc

A deserved break

My company has a fantastic perk. Work seven years and earn an 8 week sabbatical. 8 glorious weeks of paid vacation. Mine starts in two weeks!!! I can not wait. They have been working me to the bone for the last couple of months, this will be a welcomed break.

I plan to spend my time traveling and relaxing.

• Oregon, almost 2 weeks. I would have loved to spend an entire month back home, but other events (friend's wedding in Seattle and travel to London) defined my time at home. Time will be spent catching up with family and friends.
• London, for a week with one of my besties. My friend Jack and I have a little reunion once a year. Because we live in separate states, we meet up in a random city and explore it. (I still need to tell you about our time in Chicago.) We decided to kick things up a notch this year and go international. 
• Edinburgh, 2 days. It's not much, but since it's just a 4 hour train ride from London, I just can not pass up the opportunity to check things out.
• Paris, 5 days. I have been to Paris before, back in 2005 (seems like so long ago!). I have seen most of the major touristy things like the Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower (from afar), walked along the Seine, Pantheon, and walked down Champs Elysee to check out the Arc de Triomphe. So my plan is to use Paris as a home base and make day trips out to Versailles, Givenchy (pronounced jee-von-shay), do a little shopping at the outlet mall, and just relax and live like a Parisianer. 

Instagram @hungc

When all the traveling is said and done, I hope to make a dent in my to-do list that includes:

• editing photos, like the one's from our honeymoon
• blogging on a set schedule
• cooking
• putting all the clothes in my closet to good use (aka, actually wear them)
• knocking down my sewing/mending pile

Of course I have a wish list of things I hope to accomplish:

• blog while traveling
• a little soul searching
• making an inventory of crafty things to sell. Many of you have told me that I should sell my crafts. What better time to then now? Let me know if you have any ideas on what I should name my shop.

10 days until vacation starts and 13 until the official start of sabbatical!

August 2012

Instagram: @hungc

1. Impromptu date night in Boston brought us to Brewer Fountain on Boston Common. I just HAD to get into the city to pick up a skirt that I saw on Wendy's Lookbook. Since I was there, might as well grab a bite to eat, right? (The red skirt was more maroon in person, so I grabbed it in beige-pink, I'm having mixed feelings about it.)
2. We spent some quality time with the family at a summer picnic. I thought dirt cake in "terracotta" cupcake molds (a christmas gift from Jake's aunt) would be the perfect outdoor treat for all. 
3. I FINALLY got my lazy bum to the bookstore to do some research on my upcoming trip to the U.K. 
4. My car finally decided to tell me why it has been sputtering on and off for the last couple months. As it turns out, the exhaust valve is either broken or needs to be cleaned out. No biggie, but I need to get that fixed so that I can pass inspection at the end of August. Oh wait...
5. I started working on my next sewing project: soft baby blocks. I have completed 3 of 6, and then realized that I should put a cat toy inside to make it more interesting. 
6. Can you spot the point of failure? Hint: this Asian is not good with chopsticks. We do not dine in Chinatown much. Part of it is because Chinatown is sketchy. And part of it is because I don't know who's who and what's what. But, when my townie-Chinese friends say, let's eat in Chinatown, I'm all over it. 
7. Randomness spotted at Dave and Buster's.
8. My car hit 161,616 miles! 12 years and counting.
9. Fabric for quilt number 2 purchased from the ubber talented Holly at Bijou Lovely. 
10. (not pictured) We celebrated our first wedding anniversary by stuffing our selves silly with food. OK, maybe that was just me. 

1 year: celebrating with food

Brunch: Aquitaine Chestnut Hill (not pictured)

We shared - House-made cinnamon roll with icing.
I ordered - Le Sandwiche Chicken Salade (with toasted almonds, red grapes, sweet basil on brioche with tarragon aioli).

He ordered - Vanilla French Toast (with maple bacon).

Notes - We love (LOVE) Aquitaine Boston in the South End. This experience at the Chestnut Hill location was terrible. Service was slow after lunch rush (it was 1pm!)even with a small number of guest. We tried to overlook this since the food is delicious. Well, it did not get better; they left out all the fun stuff that was supposed to be in my sandwich. I was served, chopped chicken mixed with mayo on bread. There was no almonds, no grapes, and definite no basil. It was a disappointing meal. I doubt that we will return to that location.

Dinner: B& G Oysters

We shared - 1 dozen oysters of the day (Fire Lake - Richibucto, N.B., Chef Creek - Baynes Sound, B.C., Royal Miyagai - Sunshine coast, B.C.) .

I ordered - Steamed Littleneck Clams (grilled sweet corn, chorizo, smoked clam jus).

He ordered - Maine Lobster Roll (french fries, bread and butter pickles).

Notes - If it was proper to lick my plate at the table, I would have done it. This is one of our favorite places and have always had a fantastic experience. The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. If you can snag a table on the patio, do it! If not, it's also fun to watch the chef's work when dining inside.

Dessert: Max Brenner

I ordered - Chocolate Surprise Tiramisu (espresso soaked lady fingers, mascarpone cream, red berries, and a layer of chocolate truffle.

He ordered - Mexican Spicy Hot Chocolate (red chili, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper).

Notes - This was our first time at Max Brenner's. Unfortunately, Jake was stuffed from dinner. I was equally stuffed, but I was hell bent on eating some chocolaty heaven that night. I do not think that my lady fingers were soaked in espresso, but that I did not mind one bit. Oh the ambiance! The presentation! And the dessert! Just go there!! 

Yes, that is a grid paper printed plate. Tiramisu served in a jam jar, yes please.
And oh yes, that is a mini beaker of chocolate sauce.
(Please excuse the cell phone pics. I really wished I would have taken my camera with me to dinner.)

Instagram @hungc
(I'm still working on the art form of self portraits.)

 - What I Wore - 

Dress - Pippa Dress, Tart via Ideeli (no longer available, similar here).

Belt - JCrew Factory (no longer available)

Boots - Pinup Boot, Madden Girl

Watch - Georgia Leather Watch, Fossil

1 year: anniversary shoot

Whoohoo! We made it a year without killing each other! (I'm such a romantic.) 

It's a little crazy to think that a whole year has passed since our big shindig. Makes me sad to think that it's been a year since I've seen my family and my friends from back home. 

Anyways, in case you are wondering: our first year of marriage was not any different than our engagement  or dating eras. But even after 5 years together (holy Batman, 5!), we continue to learn from one another, learn about one another, grow as individuals, and grow as a family.

I have always wanted the two of us to do a photo session in Boston. Something to document that this is the city we met in, the city we fell in love in (cheesy), and the city we lived in. Well, opportunity came knock on our door. Our friends C and A hired Jason to shoot their wedding. Jason, as in our amazing wedding photographer! So while he was in the area, we snagged him for a little photo session. 

Hop on over to Jason's (and his amaze-balls wife, Lucia) blog to check out the goods:  

Boston portrait session: Celia and Jakes first anniversary

Jason Angelini Photography
We we removed all the safety cones and stood on a sinkhole to get this shot!

My outfit:

Dress - Bike Lane Dress, Anthropologie (no longer available). I thought this dress was totally discontinued. Found one in a store but it was the wrong size. I had Anthro call around to ALL their stores trying to find one in my size. It was nerve wracking to wait a week before hearing back, but they found it!

Cardigan - Crew neck cardigan, Ann Taylor (color no longer available, similar here)

Belt - Remi Belt, Club Monaco. Flash your student ID for 20% off.

Shoes - Potent, Steve Madden (no longer available - circa 2006)

Life sends reminders

Last week was pretty rough at work. At one point I escaped to the mall down the street to cool off. Well, let's be real, I was planning on taking my frustrations out on my wallet. Somehow, I kept it together and spared my bank account. I did come across a book that caught my eye. Be happy. Remember to live, love, laugh, and learn. It's a simple coffee table book filled with random quotes. It was a nice reminder that there's more to life than my job.

My apologies for the crappy phone pic.

Today, a friend pinned this image on Pinterest:

via Bee of Design

It could not have come at a better time. I have always done things at my own pace. As has Jake. We are over the moon excited for all our friends (practically every soul we know) who are either buying or just purchsed a house, pregnant, or just had a kid. Truth be told, the child in me was beginning to feel left out. But we are not ready to join any of those wagons anytime soon. We are content doing our own thing. 

Jake may not believe in signs, but the girlie-human-unscientific side of me does. It's nice to be reminded to stay grounded and to be ourselves.

July 2012

Photos 1-15 taken/edited with Instagram. Photo 16 taken with dSLR. 

This month, I finally joined the masses in the Photo a day challenge. So the update for July will have random photos peppered into it.

1.      Photo a day July 2: Busy. My printer was working hard on our thank you cards. Speaking of which, I should really finish up the last of them!

2.      Photo a day July 3: Best part of your day. Lunch, at least it was that day.

3.      Craft project for our first anniversary photo shoot.

4.      Festive by accident. I was making a quinoa fruit salad and the fruit I picked up just happened to be red and pink (it's close enough to white) currants and blueberries..

5.      Photo a day July 5: Floor. Sunset over Waltham from our 3rd floor apartment.

6.      Cute center pieces at C and A's Vermont barn wedding.

7.      First dance. Congrats to the newlyweds!

8.      Road tripping home after the epic wedding weekend in VT.

9.      Photo a day July 10: Favorite color. If caffeine had a color, it would be my favorite. In other news, my Starbucks habit has returned.

10.  Photo a day July 11: Letter. A handwritten note, aka our thank you cards.

11.  Photo a day July 12: Texture. Gears in my steampunk camera pendant. A present from C and A! (I must be the worst bride ever, I gifted my girls their hair and make-up; what kind of a present is that?)

12.  A photo session with one year old H. I can't believe she's one already!

13.  Photo a day July 23: Mirror. I was trying my hand at an artsy reflection shot. It also happened to be the one day I've had to wear my glasses in months.

14.  Photo a day July 24: Stranger. This 20mm/f2.8 lens "magically" appeared on my desk. I had been talking to my camera resource about a wide angle lens for traveling .

15.  Husband to the rescue! Once again, one of the "automated" scripts that I managed at work broke. Jake helped find the source of the failure and put a fix in place for me. Coding is so not my thing.

16.  My first quilt! Finally finished the sucker after hours and hours of sewing. It's been shipped back to Quilts for Kids headquarters where it will be dispatched to a child in need.